High Stakes in Mute City
by Infinity Ranger
Summary: After a freak accident, Samus and Captain Falcon are stuck in a combination of both of their universes. Now they have to face their greatest foes together. Samus & Captain Falcon. Chapter 6 Finally Up!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters I am using. Samus, Captain Falcon, and everyone else are the property of Nintendo.

I've had this story in my head for ages. Captain Falcon and Samus are my two favorite Smashers, and I am tired of the former getting such a bad rep in other fics. It might take a while for me to finish, so you've been warned. It'll be a Samus/Captain Falcon pairing eventually.

**High Stakes in Mute City, Chapter 1**

**GO!!!**

The second the signal was given, Samus hit the ground running. The scenery of Mute City flew past as the platform she and the other fighters were on zoomed through the air. However, it wasn't the surrounding area that had her attention at the moment.

Samus smiled as he large, turtle-dragon creature in front of her rushed to meet her attack. Bowser didn't want to waste any time in starting the fight. Behind him, Samus could see the two other combatants beginning their clash. Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon seemed just as eager to fight today as everyone else. _"Can't think about them right now,"_ Samus mentally chided herself. _"Bigger problems to worry about."_

Samus rammed her shoulder into the oncoming King of Koopas, knocking him back a few feet. She quickly followed with a fast jab to his gut, and then launched a missile right into Bowser's face.

"Raaaargggghhh!!!" Bowser screamed. "You're going to pay for that!" The outburst was exactly what Samus wanted from him right now. An angry opponent was a careless opponent.

_"Good thing he can't see me smile," _Samus thought, _"or else he would really get mad!" _The bounty hunter was indeed smiling underneath her helmet. She had come to enjoy the battles she participated in at the Smash Mansion. It felt nice to fight and show off her skills without having to worry about seriously hurting anyone. Samus may not have fully understood just how Master Hand worked everything in his dimension, but she didn't think about it too much.

Samus' thoughts were drawn back to the fight at hand as Bowser charged again. Samus rushed to meet him, but caught him off guard by jumping right over him. AS soon as she landed, she swung her leg and dropped her heel onto the back of Bowser's shell. That, along with the Koopa's momentum, knocked him off balance. Remembering stories she had heard of how Mario had defeated Bowser, Samus fired her Grapple Beam and latched on to Bowser's tail.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Bowser demanded, right before a feeling of déjà vu set in. He suddenly realized just what his armored opponent had in mind. Bowser flashed back to all of the times his red-capped nemesis had grabbed him by the tail and thrown him like a sack of potatoes. A sense of dread came over the spiky-shelled fighter.

Samus savored the fear she saw on Bowser's face. It was obvious he knew what was coming. Samus then pulled him right toward her, and quickly brought the pull into a swing. Bowser was heavy, but if a short plumber could do it, so could she.

"Oh come on!" Bowser screamed as he was swung in circles of greater and greater velocity. "The match just starteeeeeeeaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhh!!!" His scream trailed off as he was sent flying off the side of the huge street they were all traveling over. He quickly assessed his situation and smiled. Samus had thrown him far, but he would still be able to get back on the stage. After a quick shell spin, he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up…

…only to be hit by a fully powered Charge Shot.

While Bowser had been soaring though the air and trying to recover, Samus had been preparing. The blast was enough to send the Koopa flying away again. This time, he was gone for good.

Samus watched as her opponent was knocked out of the fight. She smiled, but was immediately hit from behind.

_"Don't get careless! The fight's not over yet!" _Samus told herself. After landing, she turned to face her attacker. Captain Falcon, pressing his advantage of surprise, carried on his attack. He threw a second blow, but she managed to dodge it. Samus quickly jumped back to give herself room. _"This isn't going to be easy."_

_"This isn't going to be easy." _The thought was running through Captain Falcon's head as well. Defeating Donkey Kong had been fairly difficult, but that was expected when you were fighting a giant gorilla that regularly hefted large barrels. Even if he was wearing a funny tie. The exhaustion from that fight had just started to set in, which would only hinder him in fighting is fellow bounty hunter. He knew from past experiences just how fierce an adversary Samus could be.

Falcon decided to try a direct assault again, and began running toward the red and yellow figure before him. Unfortunately, she was ready this time. Samus seemed to disappear right in front of him. By the time he realized that she had gone into her Morph Ball form, Falcon felt a small explosion throw him off balance. The bomb she had placed had done its job.

_"Careless!" _the F-Zero champion thought. He rolled and got up just in time to block Samus' fist as it came swinging down at him. Falcon pulled her towards him and launched a Falcon Kick. Making a direct hit on her legs, Samus was sent flying. Falcon jumped up to attack in the air. Hopefully, he could end this fight soon.

It became clear to him that Samus wasn't ready to give up just yet. She swung a strong kick towards him and managed to knock them both back down to the platform. The two jumped apart.

_"We're both exhausted. This is going to end soon. Just have to make sure I'm still standing then!" _Thoughts flew through Falcon's mind as he ran to what could be his final attack. He jumped into the air and immediately began preparing his most powerful attack, the Falcon Punch. He would be able to throw it as soon as he landed.

Falcon realized too late that Samus was also readying her signature attack. A large blue ball of energy had taken shape in front of her, almost as large as she was. Falcon knew that it was too late to fall back, so he just hoped that he would be able to attack first as he neared the ground.

Neither bounty hunter was sure of what happened next. As soon as Captain Falcon landed, his punch of energy was thrown just as Samus fired her Charge Shot. The sheer force from both collided and for a split second seemed to mingle. Then, without warning, a bright flash of white light tore out of the nexus of their attacks, enveloping the two fighters and the entire surrounding area.

_"What's going on?!" _The thought passed trough both Samus' and Captain Falcon's minds. They both felt the energy pass them, surround them, and the seemingly close in on them.

Without warning, the energy collapsed just as quickly as it had grown. When it disappeared, both Smashers were gone.

**End Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any of the characters I am using. Samus, Captain Falcon, and everyone else are the property of Nintendo.

Here comes Chapter 2. Enjoy!

**High Stakes in Mute City, Chapter 2**

Master Hand was not in a good mood.

After the "incident" involving Captain Falcon and Samus, news had quickly reached him that something was wrong. He had been preoccupied at the time, but the other competitors had all been watching the battle via the television screens that always displayed the fights. From what the other Smashers had told him, a bright flash of energy had appeared on the Mute City stage and caused the two bounty hunters to disappear without a trace.

"A bright flash." The giant hand muttered as he floated over the Mute City stage. "_That _sure tells me a whole lot." He turned back to the investigation currently going on around him. Several of the Smashers had volunteered to help search for their two missing compatriots and were busy trying to find any sort of hint as to what happened. "You guys find anything yet?"

Fox and Falco looked up from the sensors they had brought along and shook their heads. "Well," Fox stated, "we're getting trace amounts of the two's energy signatures, but just the stuff from their special attacks. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Nothing over here either." Zelda added from the other half of the stage. She and Ganondorf were (reluctantly) working together to try to find something through their magic. "I can tell you this much, though. Whatever happened was contained. Nothing else here was affected in any way by… well, whatever that thing was. Just Samus and Falcon."

Master Hand sighed. It was bad enough that an accident had occurred during what was supposed to be a routine battle. For the two involved to just up and disappear was just plain unacceptable to the giant appendage.

"Well, just keep looking," he told everyone. "I mean, it's not like they just disappeared into empty spa…" Master Hand suddenly stopped talking. The others present all turned towards him in confusion.

"Uh, Hand?" Falco asked. "You okay? You just kinda trailed off right there."

Master Hand slowly clenched into a large fist. The Smashers all knew that he only did that when he was either mad or extremely worried. They backed away a bit and tried to get his attention again.

"Master Hand, did you think of something?" Zelda asked cautiously. In response, the giant hand slowly turned to face the ground as if looking for something. The Smashers moved a little closer to see what was going on. Master Hand slowly outstretched his fingers and just hovered in space without saying anything. After a minute, the sense of dread felt by the others was replaced with impatience.

"Hey, Hand!" Ganondorf bellowed, approaching the floating Master Hand. "Are you going to do something or are you just going to float there and do nothi... aaaggghhh!" The wizard was cut off as a ball of energy suddenly shot out of Master Hand, knocking him back a few yards. Nobody really noticed, though. Their attention was being drawn towards Master Hand and the energy he released.

It had looked exactly like the same energy that had caused Samus' and Captain Falcon's disappearance. It roared out in a sphere shape, the noise almost deafening. Fortunately for the Smashers, it wasn't large enough to reach them.

"Wha…what's going on?!" Fox asked, mystified. None of the others could give him an answer. All they knew was that Master Hand had apparently recreated the accident. It quickly became clear to them, though, that something was wrong.

"Look at Master Hand!" Falco suddenly exclaimed. Fox, Zelda, and a recovered Ganondorf immediately saw what the bird-pilot meant. Master Hand was still in the center of the energy sphere, but he was now writhing as if in pain. This was confirmed as the Hand let out a scream.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!" he cried. "Hurry and hit me with something!" The Smashers assembled realized that he was talking to them.

"What?!" Zelda yelled over the noise. "You're in pain! Why would you want us to…"

"Less talking, more blasting!" Falco yelled, pulling out his blaster. Before Zelda could react, Falco let out a stream of lasers. All of them made direct hits on Master Hand and provided enough force to knock him out of the sphere. As soon as the hand was free, the energy closed in on itself and vanished. The Smashers ran over to the fallen hand, currently lying on the ground moaning.

"Are you okay?!" Fox asked. Master Hand seemed to glare back.

"Do I _look_ okay to you?!" The hand answered sarcastically. He managed to rise into the air a few feet, though the effort clearly strained him. Master Hand then sighed, both out of exhaustion and frustration. "The important thing is, I know what happened to Samus and Falcon."

This statement confused those around him. "What it is it?" they all asked simultaneously.

Master Hand sighed again. "Well, it's good news, bad news time. Good news, I managed to temporarily recreate the accident."

"How is that good news?" Zelda asked, puzzled.

"By doing so, I managed to follow their trail. It came to me when I said 'space' earlier. The reason that there isn't any trace of them here is because…" he paused. "The energy from their attacks was powerful enough to tear into this dimension, creating a wormhole. They were pulled through; hence, their mysterious disappearance."

"So, they're in a different dimension? Can't you just teleport them back like you do with all of us? I mean, you do that on a regular basis." Fox questioned.

"That's the bad news." was the reply. "They're not just in another dimension. Something else happened. The energies from their attacks actually _mixed_ with the energy of this dimension. Since each of them technically carries an energy signature from their own universe, the accident has actually affected the structure of their universes. That's why it hurt so much when I tried to bring them back just now. I didn't expect this kind of situation, so I wasn't able to fully adapt to the new structuring."

Zelda caught on to what he was saying. "So you mean to tell us that you can't bring them back?!"

Master Hand seemed to grimace. "I can't be sure of that. But when I tried to reach into their homes, it felt like the unique energies normally from each were… fused."

"Fused?!" Falco exclaimed. "You mean…"

"Exactly." Master Hand stated. "I think that their realities have been combined."

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any of the characters or locations I am using. Samus, Captain Falcon, and everyone and everything else are the property of Nintendo.

Sorry for the delay. I've been extremely busy lately, so I wasn't able to write for a while. Summer school's just about finished, so I'll probably have more time to work on this. Here's Chapter 3!

**High Stakes in Mute City: Chapter 3**

Samus groaned as her eyes fluttered open, consciousness returning to her. She felt tired and sleepy, so she rolled over in her bed and tried to fall back asleep. She really didn't want to wake up, and the covers were warm and inviting.

_"Wait, why am I in bed?" _

Samus jumped up into a sitting position as she remembered everything. She and Falcon had been fighting, their attacks had collided, there was a flash, and everything had gone white. Samus looked around the room she was now in and was surprised to realize that she knew full well where she was.

"My... my ship?" She asked herself. "How did I get here?" Sure enough, it was indeed Samus' own room she was now in. Small, so as to fit in her personal craft, with only a bed, a nearby computer terminal, a small chair, and her Power Suit standing nearby like a statue. Samus regarded all of this for a second, and then pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming. When she failed to awake, she got out of bed and moved to the chair in front of her computer. She quickly entered her password and checked her ship's status.

"Well, this is _my _ship," she confirmed, "but how did I get here?" Samus thought carefully. Her mind went back to the incident on the Mute City stage and the energy she encountered. She crossed her arms, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling as she thought.

"Okay, pretty safe bet that whatever happened there brought me back here. There's not really anything I can do to get back. That's entirely up to Master Hand," Samus talked out loud to herself, "so I guess I just wait for him to do something." The thought that maybe Master Hand couldn't do anything ran through her mind for a minute. It scared her for a second. The place that had become a second home to her, forever lost to her, seemed to her to be a cruel situation.

_"Don't think that!"_ her inner voice yelled at her mentally. _"Master Hand is a ridiculously powerful deity/dimensional thing. It might take a while to get back, but you __**will**__. Just be patient."_ Samus reassured herself that she would indeed return to the Smash Mansion. She sat back up, and her gaze fell onto her Power Suit.

"Well," she decided, "might as well get back to work in the time being." She quickly donned her suit, checked her ship's security systems, and exited out her ship via the levitation beam in the ship's bottom.

Samus took a moment to look at her surroundings, and a sense of confusion came over her. This was not the shipyard she had left her ship; she had last been in an out-of -the-reach space colony, and this was a large, almost industrial-looking area. Dozens of other ships, some of which's designs she had never seen, were lined up in rows and rows like a giant, sci-fi parking lot. It was then that Samus realized that she wasn't the only being in the place. A large number of aliens walked around; some leaving or returning to parked ships, others carrying equipment like maintenance workers. She recognized about half of the species she witnessed, but others were completely new to her. Samus noticed an exit close to where she was standing and quickly walked outside.

It would have been impossible for someone standing around to tell, but Samus gasped underneath her helmet. Instead of seeing a fairly small space colony, a large metropolis sprawled out in front of her. The landscape was dominated by giant silver and gray skyscrapers, while smaller buildings with the same color scheme dotted the areas between. Huge signs of neon were everywhere, and televisions that made big-screens look like digital wristwatches were prevalent throughout.

"What is this place?!" Samus muttered. She then noticed a long gray strip running all throughout the city. At first, she assumed that it was just a street, but she followed it with her eyes and realized it ran into a series of complicated twists and turns. It was in that moment that Samus realized where she was. Several of this place's features, most notably that road, had been incorporated into the very fighting stage she had last been on.

"This is Mute City."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_"Mute City. Home sweet home."_ Captain Falcon thought to himself as he walked down the crowded sidewalk. All around him, the hustle and bustle that he had grown so accustomed to carried on. Dozens of civilians swarmed all around, entering and exiting the many buildings and stores of what was unofficially considered the capital of the F-Zero Grand Prix. A mix of news and advertisements played on all of the giant televisions, and the brightness of the city grew as dusk began to fall.

Falcon was still trying to piece together what had happened to him. He had never seen anything like what had occurred during his fight with Samus. A bright flash, and then he had regained consciousness in his secret hideout here in Mute City. He had left not too long ago to check his surroundings and establish his exact location. This was, in fact, the real Mute City.

_"At least I know the where and when. Of course, I have absolutely no idea on how to get back or contact Master Hand." _It became clear that the only option he really had at this point was to wait for the other-dimensional being to contact him first. In the meantime, life would go on as usual. While the Grand Prix was a ways off, there were still other races to participate in. Not to mention the bounties available.

"What the…" he started, as he caught a sideways glance of something across the street. Captain Falcon had been lost in his thoughts and hadn't been paying too much attention to his surroundings. However, the figure he noticed was easily able to catch his attention. Falcon quickly turned around to match the other person's direction and hurried to the nearest intersection. A few moments later, he was on the opposite side of the road, trying to catch up to his target. When he finally did so, he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into a dark alley to their side and maneuvered around a corner so nobody on the street could see them. The figure didn't make a sound, but rather turned to face what she imagined to be an enemy.

In a moment, Captain Falcon found himself staring down the arm cannon of one Samus Aran. Despite the helmet covering her face, it was apparent to the racing champion that she was surprised. The two bounty hunters were silent for a few seconds before they both spoke at the same time.

"I think we might have a problem."

**End of Chapter 3**

Hope you enjoyed this installment. I apologize if it seems that I'm focusing on Samus more than on Captain Falcon, but I'm really going to try to delve more into his character in following chapters. I promise to try and update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for being patient with me. From this point on, I'm going to try to make the chapters a little longer. Also, I'm going to start developing the main story from now on.

Here's Chapter 4, picking up right where 3 left off. Enjoy!

**High Stakes in Mute City, Chapter 4**

"_That's _an understatement." Samus commented as she lowered her cannon. With their distance from the main street and the high walls of the alley around them, she knew it was safe to carry on their conversation. "How long have you been up and about?"

"Not long," Captain Falcon replied, "Maybe an hour, hour and a half. You?"

"About the same." Samus then decided to ask the question that had been bothering her for all of that time. "What do you think happened back at the fight?"

Falcon crossed his arms and thought for a second. "Well," he started, "I won't pretend to understand how Master Hand's dimension works, but I think it's safe to say that our attacks colliding did something to it. It looks like we were both brought here to my universe. The Mute City stage we were on might have, I don't know, _determined _where we were transported."

Samus nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's what I figured. But I think that there's more than that."

"What do you mean?" the Captain asked.

"When I woke up, I wasn't just lying around on the ground somewhere. I was in my own ship, which I might add was in a completely different place than where I left it. If we were just brought to your universe, how did it get here?"

"Good question." Falcon muttered, thinking carefully. _"Samus' ship ends up here with her? How could that happen?" _He finally spoke,"The only explanation that I can think of is that some elements of your universe came over with you." Falcon shrugged. "Don't ask me how, but it's all I've got."

Samus let out a breath. "Well, that's good enough for me. But what are we supposed to do now? Just wait for Master Hand to do something?" She paused for a second. "Seems to me to be the only real choice we have. Neither of us knows how he travels across dimensions and gets us in the first place, so we can't do it ourselves."

Captain Falcon considered that for a moment. "True enough. We wait, then. But what exactly are you planning on doing in the meantime?"

Samus hadn't given that much thought. The shock at being shafted into another universe had taken priority in her mind. Now that the topic had been addressed, however, she realized that she would need some sort of plan to survive while she was stuck here. She envied Captain Falcon, who was right at home despite being in the same situation.

"Well, I guess I'll try to hunt down bounties."

Falcon nodded. "All right, but I think that you should stay in the city. It'll probably be easier for Master Hand to track us down if we stay in the same area." He was silent for a second, and then quickly looked around. "Come with me," he said, turning and walking in the opposite direction of the way they came. Samus quickly moved to catch up with him.

"Where exactly are we going?" she questioned.

"My place. If you're serious about bounty hunting here, I have information that you might want."

The two walked on, the labyrinth-like alleys they passed through hiding their presence from the outside world. Samus was amazed that a city as large and bright as Mute City had this much area shrouded in darkness. Due to years of experience with criminals, Samus had a fairly good idea of what went on back here.

_**CHINK**_

The sound was barely audible; it was quiet, and it came from far above the pair. However, both bounty hunters heard it instantly. They kept on walking, acting as if nothing had changed. Samus and Captain Falcon each cast a quick and almost imperceptible glance at each other. The simple movements spoke the same thing to both of them.

_"We're being followed."_

On the next possible turn, Captain Falcon went left, quickly followed by Samus. Much to the female bounty hunter's surprise, the far-off end of the route they were taking was a dead end. As they got closer to the high wall in front of them, Falcon moved a bit faster and moved farther ahead.

_"What is he doing?" _ a puzzled Samus wondered. She then noticed Falcon's right hand moving, slowly and, Samus realized, deliberately. It started from a clenched fist, and then moved so the index finger and thumb were out in a ninety degree angle. It then clenched again with the index finger pointing up almost directly to her right. Samus instantly understood the message. Her right fist clenched inside her cannon, ready to fire. As they finally made it to the wall, Falcon stopped in front of it and moved his hand across the surface, as if to look for something. When he finally spoke, he uttered just one word with complete calm.

"Now."

Samus swung her cannon up instantaneously. A split-second later, the chunk of rooftop above her was sent crumbling down by one of her Missiles. Along with it came a large, shadowy figure that landed with a loud **THUD**. The dust kicked up by the rubble kept it hidden for a few moments, long enough for Falcon and Samus to surround it.

"Okay, get up," Captain Falcon ordered, "and drop any weapons you have!"

The figure seemed to hesitate for a second, as if it was planning its next move. Neither of the two bounty hunters was too surprised when it swung out at them. The pair jumped back out of their attacker's large reach. However, while the attack missed, the limb that swung out did manage to catch them off-guard. It was a large, lobster-like claw, colored a sickly black and formed of jagged edges and crooked plates. Only after looking at it for a moment did they realize that it was skin and not some kind of shell. The dust finally settled, revealing the mysterious assailant.

Captain Falcon could hear Samus gasp at the sight of their attacker, and he couldn't blame her. The creature in front of them was easily taller than they were, and its entire body was covered with the same armor-like skin the claw was. Its opposite arm ended in a similar claw, and the thing's feet looked as if they could function as blades as well. Two yellow lights seemed to flicker near the top of the creature's chest, and Falcon realized that they were the creature's eyes. The darkness of night around them made any other characteristics impossible to discern. The thing then used its enemies' surprise to jump onto the wall. With uncanny speed, it began climbing up to the rooftop from whence it came.

Captain Falcon jumped after the creature, managing to grab onto its ankle. Before the creature could shake him loose, he pulled himself up to its shoulders. The thing beneath him bucked, trying to get rid of him, but Falcon held on tightly. The F-Zero champion began raining punches right onto the creature's stump of a head to try to render it unconscious. Unfortunately, while the thing cried out in pain and slipped a few feet, its tough hide protected its head too well. Finally, it swung one of its claws out and managed to elbow its opponent in the stomach, knocking him off into the alley below. Falcon managed to roll with the impact of the landing, but was left slightly winded from the hit he had taken.

Before Falcon could recover, Samus was already firing her Grapple Beam up towards the creature. Unfortunately, it had seemed prepared for this and quickly swung to the side of the beam. The volley of shots Samus fired next failed similarly due to the thing's surprising agility. It then clambered over the ledge of the roof, and the disappearing footsteps told the bounty hunters that it was long gone.

Both bounty hunters were silent for a few seconds. Falcon rose, his abdomen aching. He then noticed that Samus seemed to be shaking slightly. Her left fist was clenched, apparently in anger.

"Samus, are you all right? I'm mad that he got away too, but…" he asked cautiously.

Samus was silent for a moment before turning to face him.

"Do you know what that thing was?" she asked him, her voice tense. It was clear that she already knew the answer to that question.

"No, I've never seen or heard of anything like it. Have you?"

Samus was silent for a moment. When she finally replied, her voice sounded like a mix of anger and fear.

"That…was a Space Pirate."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The Space Pirate stood in the center of a large room, a light above shining onto it. With that sole exception, the area was completely dark. It trembled in fear, knowing full well what was about to happen. It had failed; the mission had been to provide reconnaissance on the Hunter and what she was doing in this city. Instead, it had given away its presence. Now the Hunter knew that they were watching her.

"Do you know why you're here?" a voice hissed from the shadows. It sounded reptilian, like it came from a giant snake. Its volume was loud, yet somehow managed to sound subtle, like the best of manipulators. "Well?"

The Space Pirate shook and nodded quickly.

"You were merely supposed to follow the Hunter. Find out what she was doing. Accomplish said objectives with utmost subtlety." The voice slowly rose as it continued, noting annoyance. "Did you do these things?"

Another nervous round of nodding.

"No, you didn't. You let her see you," the voice began growing louder with each word, "fight you, and then… almost… catch… you!"

The Space Pirate felt its legs wobble. It silently prayed that it wouldn't collapse now, of all times.

"However," the voice suddenly said, returning to its original tone, "however…"

The Space Pirate looked up nervously, surprised at what seemed to be a lucky break.

"I will admit," the voice continued, "that the presence of Captain Falcon was not entirely expected. Our surveillance indicated that he is a skilled warrior, perhaps as skilled as the Hunter. His presence might have been your undoing. To give you credit, I doubt that many would have been able to escape from both him and the Hunter without giving them any information. Bravo."

The Space Pirate's eyes widened. Was it about to be forgiven?

The voice's owner noticed this. "The fact remains that you still failed."

The Pirate's hopes sank.

"I have come to a decision. I will spare your life… today."

The Space Pirate looked up in surprise.

The voice continued. "However, punishment is still called for."

The Space Pirate had barely enough time to process this statement before it was knocked down to the ground by a powerful impact from behind. It cried in pain and fear, knowing that more would come. A large claw, almost as large as the Pirate's body, flew out of the shadows and pinned it to the floor.

The claw's owner then chose that moment to make himself visible to his subordinate. First his arm came out of the darkness, followed by a large, dragon-like head. The grey-purple scales glinted in the light as yellow eyes burned without any pupils. The rest of the creature's body came out: a bony yet powerful- looking body, a pair of fearsome clawed feet, two large leathery wings, and a long, spiky tail.

Ridley smiled as flames started crawling out of his mouth…

**End Chapter 4**


	5. Chapter 5

Hi, everyone! I'm going to be on a trip next week, so I'll try to update this story a few more times before I go. Thanks for being patient with me, and thanks for the reviews.

Here's Chapter 5. Enjoy!

**High Stakes in Mute City: Chapter 5**

"Not to sound like I wasn't listening, but what was that thing again?" Captain Falcon asked as he sipped the water in his glass.

Samus let out a breath. She stared at the full glass in her hand, obviously not interested in taking off her helmet to drink it. She glanced around the establishment that Falcon had brought her to. Loud noise came from every area of the large room as several others talked and drank. More customers were placing bets on the television events at the long bar. None were paying any attention to the two bounty hunters as Samus turned back to Falcon. Both were sitting at a small booth in a distant corner of the room.

"A Space Pirate. Are you sure that this is the best place to talk about this? I mean, who knows who might overhear us?"

"Believe me, with the exception of my base, there's probably no safer place in all of Mute City." Falcon took another sip. "No wiretaps, no outside surveillance equipment. It gets checked for all of that almost daily. And everyone minds their own business. This was meant to be a safe haven for F-Zero pilots."

"So how did I get in?"

Falcon shrugged. "Not to boast, but I get some leeway since I'm the current champion. Anyway, the Space Pirate?"

Samus sighed. "Yeah, that thing that attacked us was a Space Pirate. I'd have to be an idiot not to able to recognize them after all this time."

"You've met them before, I take it?" Falcon asked, sensing a story behind his companion's behavior. While he had never really gotten to know Samus very well, he did know that she wasn't one to get shaken easily. Ever since they had let the Pirate escape, she had been doing nothing but trying to hide her anxiety. It was clear that something was going on besides one spy following them.

"'Met' isn't the word I would use." She admitted. "Ever since I became a bounty hunter, I've fought them more times than I can count. Their entire race considers me their archenemy."

Falcon was surprised. "Their entire _race_? How did you manage that?"

"Well, to put it simply," Samus answered, leaning back, "I'm just the one who gets in their way all the time. Their entire society is based on… well, pirating. They attack ships and steal anything of value. As you can guess, there are plenty of bounties placed on them, so I hunt them down all the time. I'm also always the one who stops them when they try something bigger."

Falcon raised an eyebrow. "Bigger?"

Samus sat back up. "Oh, they've tried big, galaxy-conquering schemes now and then. The government in my universe usually can't do much to stop them, so it's usually up to me." Samus seemed to think for a second. "It all sounds like some strange sci-fi plot when I say it like that, doesn't it?"

Captain Falcon couldn't help a small smile before remembering the gravity of the situation. "So, one of an entire species of aliens who all hate you shows up. It seems pretty clear that a lot more of your universe was mixed with mine than just your ship."

Samus nodded, her voice growing grim. "Yeah, a lot more. Space Pirates always travel in large numbers. It makes capturing ships easier. You only ever encounter a single one if they're on a solo assignment for their superiors."

Falcon's eyes widened slightly, finally understanding Samus' uneasiness. One Space Pirate had been fairly formidable; if there were much more…

"All right, we assume that there are more of them. What do you suggest we do now?"

Samus looked up at him. "I honestly don't know. Every time I've fought them, they were either out in space or in their own bases. I've never heard of them entering such densely- populated areas like this city. The only thing I can think of is waiting for them to make their move."

"Agreed." Falcon nodded. "While we wait, though…"

"Hey, Falcon!"

Both bounty hunters turned in the direction of the voice. Samus could have sworn she saw a glimmer of hatred flash through Captain Falcon's eyes as he saw the approaching figure, but it was too fleeting to be sure. It was obvious to her, though, that the Captain was not happy to see this man.

He stood high, easily taller than either of them. The black, skintight costume he wore was clearly meant to show off his muscular figure, a job it accomplished easily. A purple cape flowed from the man's shoulders to the floor. Finishing the look were two large bull's horns extending from either side of his mask. He looked down on both Samus and Falcon with a wicked smile.

"Black Shadow." Falcon stated simply, his glaring eyes never leaving the figure before him. "Why are you here?"

Black Shadow chuckled malevolently. "Why Falcon, don't you think you're being a bit rude? After all, as an F-Zero pilot, I have just as much right to be here as you do."

Every instinct Samus had was warning her of this man. She could easily tell that "Black Shadow" wasn't just another F-Zero pilot. His entire being reeked of arrogant evil. Her staring caught Black Shadow's attention.

"Why, Falcon, you have company? That's a surprise. And I don't think that we were introduced." His smile seemed to widen. "I am the great Black Shadow, and if I'm not mistaken, you're the famous Samus Aran. I must admit that your bounty record is quite impressive."

Samus' eyes widened in surprise as Falcon tried to hide the shock on his face. If Black Shadow knew that he had surprised them, he didn't seem to show it, though it was hard to tell with his arrogant smirk.

"Oh, but I'm sure that I've taken up enough of your time. And you both probably want to make sure that you get home before it gets too late. After all," his voice fell as his smile grew, "you never know who might be following you in the dark. If I wanted to get rid of someone, now would be when I would do it. But then, that's just me." He smiled before turning to leave. Both Falcon and Samus looked at each other in shock. Both of them turned as they heard Black Shadow's voice again.

"Oh, and Miss Aran, you especially should take care." He looked directly at her. "Despite your impressive record… you _are _still a woman."

In a blur, Samus was up. She would have been across the room where Black Shadow was standing in just as much time. That is, if Captain Falcon hadn't grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" She ordered as she tried to break the strong grip.

"Not here, Samus." Falcon commanded in a hushed voice. "He's just trying to goad you."

Samus struggled for a moment, but she knew that he was right; it didn't make sitting back down any easier for her. Black Shadow laughed again.

"Ha! I look forward to seeing you again, Samus!" He laughed. "Maybe then I'll teach you some manners!"

Falcon could tell that Samus was struggling not to go and break all of the bones in Black Shadow's body. She managed to stay seated while her antagonist left, though. As soon as he was gone, she smacked Falcon's helmeted head with her palm.

"Ow! What was that for?!" He asked while rubbing the spot where she had made contact.

"For stopping me." Samus sighed angrily. "Who was that guy anyway?"

"Well, his name is actually Black Shadow, believe it or not. And…" Falcon closed his eyes. He was not anticipating his companion's reaction to what he was about to tell her. "…he's the leading crime lord in my… well, this universe."

"WHAT?!" Samus yelled, catching the attention of almost everyone in the bar. "A crime lord?! And you just let him walk away from you like that?!"

"Believe me, there's nothing I'd like better than to throw him into a prison cell for the rest of his life." Falcon responded, beckoning for her to sit down. "Unfortunately, he puts all of his money in the right places." He sighed. "Everyone knows that he's a criminal, but he makes sure that nobody can prove it. Legally, there's nothing that any bounty hunter, or even the actual police, can do."

Samus huffed. "You heard him though. 'You never know who might be following you?' It's obvious that he knew about that Space Pirate attacking us!"

"I know that. To be honest, I'm also concerned about him recognizing you in the first place."

Samus had to admit that Falcon made a good point. "So how do you think that happened?"

"Well," Falcon started, "I think that whatever happened back in Master Hand's dimension did more than just bring you and some aspects of your universe into mine. I think that they might have actually mixed together."

"Mixed?" Samus exclaimed. "How can one accident like that combine two universes? It's impossible!"

Falcon nodded. "Normally, I might agree. Then again, once I might have thought that the idea of a giant hand bringing beings from other dimensions to fight was impossible."

"Alright, good point. But that still doesn't change the fact that we're stuck here. Only now, we know that we're being targeted by, apparently, both of our enemies."

Captain Falcon groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If Black Shadow has beings like that Space Pirate we fought on his side, then it's a safe bet that he's up to something big."

"There's… one problem with that idea."

Falcon looked up. "What do you mean?"

Samus seemed reluctant to answer. "One thing I didn't mention about Space Pirates before: they're hostile towards pretty much anything other than one of their own. There's no way that they would work for Black Shadow willingly."

"If that's true," Falcon asked, puzzled, "then what do you think is happening? Black Shadow loves to boast to his enemies. He wasn't just trying to scare us; he was telling us that he was behind that Space Pirate following us. They're working together."

"I know Black Shadow's type, and I agree with you. But I don't think that the Pirates are working _for_ Black Shadow, just _with _him."

Falcon noticed one flaw in that reasoning. "Even if that's true, it doesn't make sense. You just said that the Pirates hate everyone else. Why would they even consider working with Shadow?"

"They wouldn't on their own." Samus continued. "But they would if their leader told them to."

"Their leader?"

Samus nodded. "Even though the Space Pirates are scattered throughout the universe, they all have one leader. He's just the kind of being who would plan something like this. I didn't think he would be here before, but after all of this…" Samus seemed to think for a second. "If our universes have been combined, then I'd bet anything that he's pulling the strings."

"Well, okay," Falcon responded. "Who is he?"

Samus looked to the side for a minute before answering.

"His name is Ridley."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Black Shadow laughed as he entered his office. He couldn't forget the pure rage he had instilled in Aran at the F-Zero bar. He smiled at the thought of her trying to come after him afterwards.

_"Maybe someday, Miss Aran." _He thought to himself. _"I do intend to see you again, after all."_

"You're late."

Black Shadow's smile fell as he turned towards the voice.

"It's rude to just interrupt a person's thoughts like that, you know."

Black Shadow stood his ground as a large, dragon-like creature came into view from the shadows. While he acted otherwise, he was slightly intimidated by the beast. It might be able to give him a challenge if it turned on him.

"It's also rude," Black Shadow continued, "to leave messes on my floor."

Ridley seemed to smile. "I had to discipline one of my soldiers. Besides, he's in my medical bay and off your floor." Ridley closed the distance between himself and Black Shadow. "So sorry if I was a bother."

Black Shadow frowned at the insincere apology. "Anyway, if you must know, I was merely paying a visit to our prey."

"What?!" Ridley's eyes widened. "Are you a fool?! You've revealed our presence!"

"Calm down." Black Shadow stated nonchalantly. "They don't know about your role."

"Are you mad?! Of course they do!" Ridley was getting angrier by the moment. "They're too intelligent not to figure it out!"

Black Shadow was getting annoyed. "So what if they do? It doesn't change anything. We will continue on as planned."

Ridley narrowed his yellow eyes as he stooped down to stare directly into his "partners'." They locked glares and were silent for a few moments. Finally, Ridley stood.

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong, it will be on your head." Ridley strode over to the office's enormous window and opened it with a large claw. Within a moment he had disappeared outside. When Black Shadow walked over, he could just barely make out the shadowy figure of the creature flying away. He then brought his view down to the panoramic view of Mute City before him. Black Shadow's frown disappeared, and he smiled.

"Soon you'll be all mine."

**End Chapter 5**

Please review. I'm willing to listen to any constructive criticism.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm finally back! I would like to apologize for taking so long to finally update, but I've had to focus on school. I'll be trying to update this story more frequently from now on. In addition, I'll try to post other stories (probably one-shots). If you're a fan of the Captain Falcon/Samus pairing, please go and check out my new story, **Take the Hand**.

Because it's taken so long for me to make this chapter, I'll probably start incorporating Brawl characters as well. Don't worry though; this will remain the bounty hunters' story.

Captain Falcon, Samus, and all other characters and places are the property of Nintendo. If I owned them, I would be making a game out of this story.

Here's Chapter 6. Enjoy!

**High Stakes in Mute City: Chapter Six**

Things were tense in the Smash Mansion.

The story of what had happened to Samus and Captain Falcon had spread quickly, and no one was entirely sure of what to do. Master Hand had vanished to parts unknown after his failed attempt to bring the bounty hunters back; everyone assumed he was working on the problem, so they didn't try to look for him in case he was trying to concentrate. In the meantime, most of the older Smashers were gathered in the mansion's spacious living room, trying to think up ways to help their two missing competitors.

Things were going about as well as you'd expect.

"Guys, I hate to be a downer here," Pit said, frustrated, "but we've got nothing!" His outburst was quickly answered with a smack to the head from Marth, sitting a few feet away on the sofa.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"For being rude." Marth replied. "You're already giving up after sitting here for… uh, how long have we been here again?"

Zelda gave him an irritated look from her chair across the room before answering.

"An hour, Marth. Which, I might add, isn't _that _long a time. Particularly when it's to help our missing friends." She got up and faced all of the other assembled Smashers before her. "Come on, people! Someone's got to have thought of something by now!"

"Look, Zelda," Peach spoke from her spot on a large loveseat next to Mario, "we're sorry, but we don't know what to do. None of us really has any experience in alternate dimensions… or whatever this thing is."

"Well, we still need to think of something! And would you two please _turn that down!!!_"Zelda turned and yelled at the only two figures in the room unconcerned with the ongoing brainstorming session.

Bowser and Ganondorf were each sitting in large recliners across the room, eating junk food and watching television on the Smash Mansion's big screen TV. Upon hearing his frequent kidnapping victim, Ganondorf turned to his criminal associate.

"Hey Bowser, did you hear something?"

"Why, no, I didn't, Ganondorf." The King of Koopas answered, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Thought not." The wizard replied, cranking up the volume with the remote in his hand.

"Okay, forget them." Zelda stated with a glare and a dismissive wave of her hand. "Anyone got any ideas?"

Everyone was silent. Fortunately, before the princess of Hyrule could chew anyone out again, the voice of Master Hand boomed throughout the room.

"**I HAVE RETURNED!"** the currently disembodied voice announced. **"AND I HAVE AN IDEA!"**

"Uh, that's great and all," Fox replied, his hands covering his ears, "but do you have to talk that loudly?"

"Huh. I guess not." Master Hand answered as he popped into view in the air. "Anyway, as I was saying, I have an idea."

"You know how to get them back?!" almost everyone exclaimed hopefully. This seemed to lessen the giant appendage's bravado.

"Not exactly." Master Hand sheepishly responded. "But there is something else we can do. Someone go get Ness and Lucas. We'll need their help with this."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Well, it's not much, but it's home." Captain Falcon stated as he led his companion through the final doorway into his secret base. After the incident at the bar, he and Samus had both decided to stay together in case of an enemy assault. It was too risky for her to try to get to her ship and remain alone during the night, so she would stay at his place for now. In the morning, they would go and move her vessel to a safer location.

Samus nodded at Falcon's comment, but she felt impressed at his headquarters as she entered. It was larger than she had thought it would be, containing everything someone of the bounty hunting profession would need. An advanced-looking computer took up an entire corner of the room, its monitor reaching almost to the ceiling. A long trophy case rested along another wall. A quick glance was all that was needed to see that it was filled with trophies and memorabilia of all of the F-Zero races that Falcon had participated in. To her left was a hallway; despite being hidden beneath a city, the base apparently extended farther than the room she was now in. Scattered all around were various tools and equipment. However, nothing caught Samus' attention more than what lay in the far right corner of the chamber. Falcon noticed Samus' gaze and smiled.

"You like her?"

Samus couldn't help but admire the blue vehicle she saw before her. It was relatively small when compared to her own ship, with a cockpit big enough for one, maybe two people. Its streamlined body was simple in design: said cockpit took up most of the jet-shaped nose of the craft, while two fins extended upwards from the back of the body. The hull proudly bore the number 07 in bold font on its side. The craft might have looked weak to the untrained eye. However, Samus could tell that the ship was built for speed.

"This is your F-Zero racer, isn't it?" Samus asked as she approached it. She could vaguely remember seeing this ship on the Big Blue stage back at the Smash Mansion. The other bounty hunter nodded.

"The Blue Falcon. My pride and joy. She's gotten me out of Lord knows how many scrapes." The Captain patted the nose of the ship affectionately. "Sometimes I'm amazed that she's still in one piece after all of these years."

"I know the feeling," Samus responded, kneeling down to examine the ship more closely. "There are days when I think my Power Suit is just going to go to pieces on me."

Falcon couldn't help but chuckle. It was odd, really. Samus was usually a bit withdrawn at the Smash Mansion. In fact, Peach and Zelda were the only two people he had ever seen the armored bounty hunter actually socializing with (they were the only women present, so he supposed that it made sense). It had never occurred to him that she would have any sense of humor.

"Well," he shrugged, "thank goodness for old hunks of metal. They'll never quit on you when you need them."

"Amen to tha…"

**Bbbbbbbaaaaaaammmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!**

The loud explosion cut off Samus' reply. Before either of the hunters could react, a large white flash manifested itself in the center of the room. A quick glance between the two confirmed the thought on the other's mind. This was the same type of phenomena that had brought them here.

Gradually, the light dimmed and warped, forming into a more cohesive shape. The "light" now resembled a large bulk of white with five incoherent extensions.

"_What is that thing?" _Falcon thought. _"Those tentacles… wait. Those are fingers!"_

Sure enough, the being soon shifted into the much more familiar sight of Master Hand. The giant hand hovered ominously in front of the pair of Smashers. It was clear, however, that something wasn't quite right. The large appendage didn't look entirely formed; in fact, the bounty hunters could see through him to the other side of the room.

"Master Hand?" Samus ventured. "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me!" The hand's loud, booming voice responded. "How many other giant hands do you know?"

"Well, there's Crazy Hand." Falcon pointed out. Master Hand was silent for a few moments.

"Funny, Falcon. Very funny. But quit the jokes and listen. I haven't got much time…"

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Back at the Smash Mansion, a semi-transparent Master Hand floated in the air while crackling with energy. Said energy stemmed from the two young psychics standing on either side of the floating being. Ness and Lucas were glowing bright with force, channeling it into Master Hand. The effect, however, was far from benign. Multicolored lightning shot out from the two boys' auras and ran rampant across the living room. Anything the PK energy hit was either sent flying through the air or blown to smithereens. The Smashers who hadn't run for their lives were currently fortified behind a couch, observing the spectacle.

"What exactly are they doing again!?" Link shouted over the awesome din while blocking a soaring vase with his shield.

"Well," Zelda replied while also yelling, "I think Ness and Lucas are boosting Master Hand's powers! It looks like he might actually be talking to Samus and Falcon!"

"Yeah, but it doesn't look like those two can hold it for much longer!" Fox pointed out. Sure enough, Ness and Lucas looked incredibly strained. It was only a matter of time before they gave out. Fox quickly pulled out his blaster and shot down a series of CD cases coming at him from the right. "Do you think Master Hand can do anything to actually help Falcon and Samus!?"

"I don't know!" Zelda responded. "It looks like he's having a hard enough time just talking to them!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu observed.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"…Anyway, I don't have a huge amount of time." The large hand had finished explaining the situation to the pair of hunters. "Ness and Lucas can't hold this for much longer."

"Well, alright." Samus nodded. "Can you do anything from over there?" Master Hand visibly deflated.

"Not exactly, but the two of you need to know something. That accident you were in merged your two universes together!"

Silence.

"Not too sound ungrateful, Master Hand," Falcon started hesitantly, "but we figured that out already."

More silence.

"Well, that's just great, then!" the hand yelled suddenly, obviously annoyed. "Here I am, struggling to get in touch with you two, and what do I get? Sass!" Samus quickly stepped forward towards the hovering appendage.

"Look, never mind that! Is there any way you can undo it? I mean, our enemies are working together over here! If you don't do anything, we're in trouble!" Master Hand seemed taken aback by the armored bounty hunter's exclamation

"Are you serious!?" He turned away, lost in thought. "The damage is worse than I thought…"

"Hey, hey!" Samus yelled. "What about us!?"

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Master Hand began to fade away. Samus and Captain Falcon had no choice but to stand by helplessly as the hand slowly began to dissipate. Master Hand realized this, but could do nothing.

"I'm sorry, you two! I promise I'll try to fix everythiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg……."

Gone. The bounty hunters could only stare at the spot Master Hand had been occupying. With a slow movement, Falcon turned to face Samus, a grim expression on his face.

"I think we're on our own."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Please read and review. Constructive criticisms are always welcome.


End file.
